Breakthrough with the Forbidden Master

Chapter 314 – The Someones in the Forest

If we can avoid unnecessary conflicts, so much the better.

“Unforgivable!”

“You need correction!”

And in the next moment, two little kids jumped out.

“Really, why are you guys jumping out? Stop!”

But, the kids don’t suddenly stop.

Ah, this is bad――――

“What’s this? Children with such fierce countenances…”

“Eeii, at the ready!”

“Innocent appearances… yet such ferocity… Humans are truly barbarians!”

The someones in the forest were armed, aiming at Espie and Slayer from a medium range.

Dangerous.

Not for those two.

“Come out! 【Fluffy fishing】!!”

“””Eeeh!!??”””

Yes, it’s the people who were in danger.

With this technique, she also caught fish that could not be seen at the bottom of the sea, and even rescued the residents of Ghenkan.

As long as they were within earshot, it didn’t matter.

“Muh…”

“This is…”

Then, out of the bushes of the forest, people were lifted into the air.

Young men and women. Dressed in green, looking somewhat like hunters…

“W, what in the world, all of a sudden!? What has that child done!”

“Is this… magic? Everyone, aim for that child–“

“Kaha?!”

I could also hear the voices of other people hiding behind this situation, but the next moment they stopped talking, as if they had lost consciousness.

“Why are you talking so loudly if you’re hiding? Let alone against me, a Hunter… you’re not very smart at all.”

Before I knew it, Slayer disappeared from before my eyes, and I could see him moving through the forest at high speed, attacking people one after another and knocking them unconscious.

“Slayer, it’s cheating to beat up so many by yourself!”

“They insulted Brother… I couldn’t hold back.”

“Hah!? He’s my brother!”

“…… He became my brother…”

“I’m cuter than you! Big brother patted me and gave me hugs!”

“I, I was also, patted… hugs are still … no! When Norja attacked me, I was hugged when I was rescued! So it’s even.”

“Muki! I was the only one who got hugged… by my strong and cool brother… he smiled at me too, and all the scary things and bad feelings were gone.”

“Ahh I know what you mean… reassuring and… warm.”

“Un! That! I know I know! That feeling like, whatever happens, there’s nothing to worry about!”

“Mm-hmm. So, I have to work harder…”

“I know, right! I’ll work harder and get praised too~!”

See here. I don’t know who they are, but this is how it goes.

“Hii, w, what?! What’s happening?”

“Everyone is being attacked one after another!”

“What in the world are these two?”

You two, don’t bicker while you’re fighting. And now that you’ve come around, you guys are good friends.

“…… Hmm? huh? …… I just realized… these guys…”

“Ah… eh? Hey, Brother. These people…”

At that moment, Espie and Slayer, who had been arguing, noticed something.

It’s about the people.

I also took another look at the people that Espie had caught…

“Ah…”

And then I realized something.

“Ah~…… enough…… pulling weapons on children running in anger is more barbaric… and they got trounced… see, they stood no chance~…… I mean, that girl is anomalous… psychokinesis… the boy, he’s a prodigy… sigh~…… the impossible is impossible…”

Hmm?

“Muh…”

At that moment, a man jumped down from the tree and appeared in front of us, sighing.

“Espie, stand back!”

At first glance, he seemed to have a different vibe than the others.

I don’t sense much in the way of muscle mass or the magic power that seems to be inherent in him.

But something is different. It’s a hunch.

Before I knew it, I was screaming… but……

“Please spare us.”

“”Eh…””

He came out and immediately got down on his knees.

At that moment, the two people, who had not stopped even when I tried to stop them, finally stopped.

“””””Chieftain!??””””

But, this was unexpected for us, and apparently it was also unexpected for this man’s companions.

A commotion could be heard from within the forest.

“Really, we’re mere reclusive hermits of the forest. Please don’t torment us so. No, actually, we attacked you, so we apologize and will make amends with whatever offerings or treasures you desire! Really, we’re so hard-headed and lacking in common sense, I’m sorry that we’re even more troublesome idiots who go beyond mere stupidity!!”

He was extremely submissive, begging for his life by rubbing his forehead on the ground, even though the other party was a child.

He seemed like such a pathetic man… and I didn’t find it strange.

“…… erm…… then apologize for saying bad things about Big brother…”

“Ah, I shall… I shall, indeed. No, we apologize for being a clueless and incompetent lot who can’t even see the truth that, far from being kidnapped, you actually cherish him greatly.”

As expected, Espie was also flustered, and the momentary anger from earlier had faded.

And the man who looked up …

“Oh…”

『Hoh~…』

He wasn’t human.

“Eh, Big brother, this person!”

His black hair only covered one eye and the only visible eye was dark and shaded, giving him a somewhat rotten look.

Even though he has such a dark face, his whole body is dressed in a green-based nature-inspired outfit, so there’s a gap, or rather, it doesn’t suit him at all…

But he’s young. Maybe he doesn’t look as old as me… no, elves are a long-lived species, so maybe his age doesn’t match his appearance.

But, apart from that, the most eye-catching thing was that the man’s ears were sharp and pointed.

“Demon…?”

I subconsciously thought he might be a demon, but the atmosphere was somehow different.

Then, Tre’ainar beside me …

『No, tis not so… he is an elf…』

“Elf!”

Elf…… I’ve met dark elves before, but I’ve never seen an elf before.

And the young men and women that Espie fished out of the forest earlier were also elves.

“It was an Elf after all… I was surprised too…”

Slayer looked a little surprised when he returned.

Yes, that’s how rare they were.

We often hear common names like “Sage of the Forest”, “Wise Man”, and “Fairy”, and we hear them quite often in stories.

Unlike the dark elves from the Demon Realm, the human side does not have such a bad image of them, but rather some admired and desired their beautiful appearance.

But, now their numbers have decreased considerably … it seemed that they didn’t participate in the Great War in the past… is such a groveling guy an elf?

“Chieftain, what are you doing?”

“Have you no pride in our noble Elven race?”

“So many of our kin have fallen, and you feel nothing!?”

But soon after, several elves sprang out from the trees and bushes.

With beautiful golden or silver dyed hair and androgynous appearances… in other words, the men are good-looking. The women are beautiful.

Ah, this was it.

These were the kind of elves that jumped out of a picture book.

“No, have I not just ensured that our pride doesn’t turn into something absurd? Our foes were but children, were they not? They don’t seem to be soldiers of the Demon King Army, nor one of those ‘Bockmati’ kidnappers I’ve heard of… yet, to aim bows at a mere child… and so easily be bested…”

“Even so, why should we, the venerable Elves, suddenly bow our heads in submission? Why do we lower ourselves to these lowly humans? And as the chieftain of our elven tribe, no less! How will you explain this to ‘your betrothed’!?”

“Oh come now, she did all that arbitrarily, didn’t she? That arrogant and bothersome young lady decided on her own to marry me, parading the news… it was her own doing, I say? If anything, they all want me to bow to them. I feel the need to protest and raise my voice about it now.”

“Protestation is excessive! Besides, if the young lady heard that, we’d be in trouble! In fact, we’d all be in trouble, so please refrain!”

“Then, everyone, please listen to what I have to say at least. I believe, in the grand scheme of things, those who at least listen to someone’s words, even if they’re foolish, are more valuable than wise folk who don’t. That’s why, you know.”

Anyway, what’s this situation?

The elves suddenly appeared, and were arguing with each other.

“…What should I do, Big brother?”

“No… I’m not particularly mad… for now, let’s just get out of the way…”

“If that’s okay with Brother…”

So, we left the place and asked them to do their own thing…

“Well, it’s understandable that things are getting tense, what with the Seven Heroes, who are famous in the city, suffering a terrible defeat at the hands of Hakuki of the Demon King Army. The Allied forces are on the brink of annihilation, and the Hero Hiro is in critical condition… the situation is dire, so I get the anxiety…”

“””Huh!?”””

At that moment, we involuntarily stopped in our tracks in response to the words muttered by the chieftain with a sigh.

『…… hmm…… tis so. Well, he did not perish in the end… moreover, he revived from the brink of death with an unreasonable power-up … rather, unless you are Espie, is there a point of you being so flustered?』

“Ah, I see…”

Tre’ainar was right, it wasn’t really surprising… no, I was surprised… but… my very existence proves that I don’t need to worry about my father’s life or death, so let’s just…

“In that case, Chieftain, you should be even more concerned! Regardless of how many humans perish, if the entire Surface World falls to the demonic hordes, we will…”

“Fool, in a way, I’m the most concerned about the situation on the Surface World among the elven tribes. If the humans are wiped out, my income from the Destiny series I’m writing would vanish. And my readers will also grieve.”

“Again with that! Such matters are unnecessary! Instead of going out of your way, even disguising yourself, to sell those things in the human world, you should―――――― “

Immediately……

『WWWHHHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATTT!!???』

At that moment, Tre’ainar was unusually upset and went crazy.